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Title: Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates

Abstract

A plate for a fuel cell has an arrangement of ribs defining an improved configuration of process gas channels and slots on a surface of the plate which provide a modified serpentine gas flow pattern across the plate surface. The channels are generally linear and arranged parallel to one another while the spaced slots allow cross channel flow of process gas in a staggered fashion which creates a plurality of generally mini-serpentine flow paths extending transverse to the longitudinal gas flow along the channels. Adjacent pairs of the channels are interconnected to one another in flow communication. Also, a bipolar plate has the aforementioned process gas channel configuration on one surface and another configuration on the opposite surface. In the other configuration, there are not slots and the gas flow channels have a generally serpentine configuration.

Inventors:
 [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Whitehall Boro, PA
  2. Bethel Park, PA
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
866089
Patent Number(s):
4631239
Assignee:
Westinghouse Electric Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
fuel; cell; plates; improved; arrangement; process; channels; enhanced; pressure; drop; plate; ribs; defining; configuration; gas; slots; surface; provide; modified; serpentine; flow; pattern; linear; arranged; parallel; spaced; allow; channel; staggered; fashion; creates; plurality; mini-serpentine; paths; extending; transverse; longitudinal; adjacent; pairs; interconnected; communication; bipolar; aforementioned; opposite; gas channels; process channels; fuel cell; flow paths; flow channels; process gas; flow channel; pressure drop; gas flow; flow path; bipolar plate; flow communication; opposite surface; spaced slots; arranged parallel; gas channel; flow pattern; adjacent pair; plate surface; serpentine flow; cell plates; extending transverse; cell plate; site surface; /429/

Citation Formats

Spurrier, Francis R, Pierce, Bill L, and Wright, Maynard K. Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates. United States: N. p., 1986. Web.
Spurrier, Francis R, Pierce, Bill L, & Wright, Maynard K. Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates. United States.
Spurrier, Francis R, Pierce, Bill L, and Wright, Maynard K. Wed . "Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/866089.
@article{osti_866089,
title = {Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates},
author = {Spurrier, Francis R and Pierce, Bill L and Wright, Maynard K},
abstractNote = {A plate for a fuel cell has an arrangement of ribs defining an improved configuration of process gas channels and slots on a surface of the plate which provide a modified serpentine gas flow pattern across the plate surface. The channels are generally linear and arranged parallel to one another while the spaced slots allow cross channel flow of process gas in a staggered fashion which creates a plurality of generally mini-serpentine flow paths extending transverse to the longitudinal gas flow along the channels. Adjacent pairs of the channels are interconnected to one another in flow communication. Also, a bipolar plate has the aforementioned process gas channel configuration on one surface and another configuration on the opposite surface. In the other configuration, there are not slots and the gas flow channels have a generally serpentine configuration.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986}
}